‘Perfect ten’ Nadia pays surprise visit to games

AS the gymnastics, or gymfantastics as it has been re-named in the RDS Simmonscourt, continued yesterday, the arena got a surprise visit from one of the most famous gymnast Olympians.

Nadia Comaneci, the Romanian who captured the world’s imagination by scoring a perfect ten on the parallel bars in Montreal arrived in the late afternoon to enjoy the spectacle. Comaneci became famous for a exhibition of gymnastic perfection. But, it came at the price of her youth.

In her early teens, it was all about winning. Coaches separated her from the other young gymnasts who were simply attempting, failing and improving to attempt again. The attempt meant nothing if it didn’t culminate in victory.